Dog gets stuck up chimney

A mischievous dog got into trouble when he went chasing baby jackdaws and got trapped up a chimney at a Shropshire home.

Billy the Jack Russell scrambled up the narrow chimney at the home near Much Wenlock but then found himself on a metre-high shelf inside and unable to budge.

Ten firefighters and an RSPCA officer were drafted in to help after the dog was still stuck more than an hour later.

Owner Charlotte Southorn, 15, who lives between Brockton and Bourton and goes to Much Wenlock’s William Brookes School, could hear Billy barking on Saturday afternoon but did not realise straight away he was up the chimney.

Her father, Jeremy, said: “There are jackdaws nesting in the chimney. During the week they have been coming down the chimney and we have been letting them out.

“Charlotte went into the lounge because she could hear Billy. He was barking and she went in and found another jackdaw in the lounge.

“She let the jackdaw out and could still hear Billy barking but couldn’t find him.”

The family, which had been getting ready to start a barbecue, then realised Billy was in the chimney.

The barking became a whimper as his ordeal continued.

Whatever the family tried - even tempting him with his favourite food - they could not coax the two-year-old dog down, so they decided to call the RSPCA and the fire service.

The crew used a piece of pipe, some wire, a torch and a mirror to get the dog down in just over an hour after being called out shortly before 5pm.

Billy rewarded his rescuers by initially trying to bite them. Charlotte’s mother, Kathy, said: “They asked ‘Are you sure this is a Jack Russell, not a Rottweiler?’.”

She said the fire fighters, who were from Bridgnorth, had been fantastic and added: “It was just hilariously funny.

“We were so embarrassed it had taken so many firefighters but I think with all the terrible things they see it was light relief for them.”

By Lisa Rowley and Simon Alton